The
Generic Research Project (or GRP) is a format that The Persula
Foundation has been developing for several years, and while we
have tailored the structure to apply to our organisation, in
its basic form it can apply to almost any company.
For a number of years we made “little and often” donations to a number
of charities, helping many, but making limited overall impact. Approximately
eighteen months ago we changed our whole approach and created a number of “Generic
Research Projects” (G.R.P.s). The concept behind these G.R.P.s was to give
money and assistance in a "proactive" rather than "reactive" way
where our people researched areas of interest and through this decide where best
our limited resources should be directed.
Research is an important part of our work; investigating what provisions are
being made, what is missing and identifying what is needed in a specific area.
For example, one of our longest-running groups, the Homelessness GRP discovered
that no charities were actively working to prevent young people arriving in London
and finding themselves at the mercy (or lack thereof) of a new city.
We provided computer terminals with touch screens at Kings Cross and Victoria
main-line stations whose primary aim was to give people access to service providers
in central London. Since we began the project it has proved to be most popular
and is constantly being improved and updated, and we are hoping to expand it.
This is just one example where we have researched an area, identified a need
and used our resources to address it. We use our own in-house graphic designers
to provide the graphics on the outside of the terminal, various people within
the company have assisted by monitoring and cleaning the terminal. These are
ways in which we have involved people, and kept costs down.
Within our own company we have provided consultation on subjects such as corporate
identity, purchasing, customer service, interview techniques, and many other
subjects that are of central importance to a profit-making company, but sometimes
outside of the experience of a non-profit making organisation.
If, after reading this, you would like to know more contact us by the following means:
Tel: 020 7357 9298
Fax: 020 7357 8685
E-mail: info@persula.org
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